Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bipolar lightning protection apparatus having a light emitting unit, and more specifically, to a bipolar lightning protection apparatus having a light emitting unit, which can easily confirm whether or not the lightning protection apparatus operates from outside by receiving power applied from lightning current of lightning and radiating light.
Background of the Related Art
Generally, a lightning protection apparatus is installed at the uppermost part of a building to safely discharge the charges accumulated in a thundercloud to the earth by forming a discharge path between the thundercloud and the earth.
When the thundercloud approaches the earth, the potential difference between the thundercloud and the earth reaches one hundred million volts (V).
However, although a dielectric breakdown, i.e., lightning, does not occur between the earth and the thundercloud since the air in the atmospheric layer functions as an insulator, possibility of occurring lightning between the thundercloud and the earth always exists.
A lightning protection apparatus using an electric field phenomenon (a tip effect) of concentrating electric fields on a sharp pointed head is publicized to prevent damage from lightning, and such a lightning protection apparatus is referred to as a Franklin lightning rod.
Hereinafter, a lightning protection apparatus according to the prior art is described with reference to FIG. 1.
As shown in the figure, a lightning protection apparatus according to the prior art is configured of a fixing unit 31 installed on the top of a building and connected to a grounding means, a rod 30, one end of which is fixed to the fixing unit 31, charged with ground charges, a rod cap 32 coupled to the other end of the rod 30 and inducing lightning, an insulator 34 coupled to the other end unit of the rod 30, and a charging means 45 mounted on the rod 30, and the rod 30 is installed at the center of a charging tube 45a. 
The charging means 45 formed in the shape of a tube is configured of the charging tube 45a passing the rod 30 through the center and having tips 45b of a spike shape formed toward the rod 30, and a first cap 45c and a second cap 45d combining both ends of the charging tube 45a with the rod 30, and the second cap 45d is tightly fixed toward the insulator 34 by a stopper 46.
However, although the lightning protection apparatus according to the prior art performs a normal operation of safely flowing impulse current of lightning generated by a thundercloud to the earth, a user may not know clearly whether or not the lightning protection apparatus normally operates.
Accordingly, although a thundercloud approaches in the daytime when the surrounding areas are bright, this cannot be confirmed at all. Particularly, since there is no way to confirm a grounding fault although grounding of the rod to the earth is poor, this can be misunderstood as a normal operation, and thus a fire or damage to a building or loss of lives may occur due to the lightning.
Furthermore, since the lightning protection apparatus is a structure installed at the uppermost part of a building and a worker himself or herself should go up to a narrow work space to inspect operation of the lightning protection apparatus, the work is dangerous and requires an excessive large amount of time.